Train-indicating apparatus.



No. 695,649; Patented Mar. 18', I902.

I B. c. HOWELL.

TRAIN INDICATING APPARATUS.

(Applicaticnflled l'eb. 18, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

TH: uonms 9:72;} 00 FHDTO-LITNO.. WASHINGTON o c No. 695,649. Patented Mar. l8, I902.

Y B. c. HOWELL. TRAIN INDICATING APPARATUS.

(A umin filed m. 13, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Shank- Shut 2;

LIIII I f1 we 27207:

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENTON O. ROWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROWELL POTTER SAFETY STOP COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORA- TION OF MAINE.

TRAIN-INDICATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,649, dated March 18, 1902.

Application filed February 13, 1899. Serial No. 705,434. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENTON G. RowELL, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,'haveinventedanewand usefulTrain- Indicating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a plan of my apparatus shown diagrammatically as connected to a railroad track. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan showing my apparatus as used in connection with open circuits.

The main purpose of my invention is to cause a train to sound abell or otherwise indicate its presence and also its direction and my invention is controlling two magnets each energized by its own circuit, both circuits be ing interrupted by a train running over the track, but the order of interruption being determined by the direction in which the train is running. i

The best embodiment of my invention which I have contemplated is that shown in the drawings, in which- D and D. are the two magnets, magnet D controlling lever 19 and the magnet D controlling lever p, so that when both magnets are energized both levers are in the normal position, as shown in the drawings. a train running from right to left occupies the section Y of track whose rails are electrically connected with the positive and negative poles of batteryd, the current from battery (1 will no longer flow through the coils of ma net D, but will be short-circuited or shunted through the wheels and axles of the train on section Y, as will be well understood without further description, and when the current through the coils of magnet D is interrupted its armature-lever p will be released, and as the armature end of lever 20 moves away from magnet D the other end of lever 17 will move toward the corresponding end of lever 19; but as soon as the current through the coils of magnet D is interrupted by the train entering on section Yarmature-lever will be released, and as the armature end of lever 19 moves away from magnet D the other end of lever 19 will make contact with the corre- WVhen sponding end of lever p. Thus if armaturelever 13 carry electrode and armature-lever p carry elect-rode 7; these two electrodes will be brought into contact by interrupting first the circuit of magnet D and next the circuit of magnet D, and the signal-circuit-from battery G will be completed through the bell Q or any other desired instrument; but when the current is reestablished through magnet D, which will be as soon as the train leaves section Y in that form of apparatus shown in the drawings, armature end of leverp will be attracted and armature-lever 19 will resume its normal position-,(shown in the drawings) thus breaking the circuit through instrument Q, and so of armatu re-lever p, for that lever will resume its normal position as soon as the cur rent is reestablished from battery at through magnet D or as soon; as jthe train running from right to left leaves section Y; but a train running from left to right will first interrupt the current of magnet D and release lever p first, and nextinterrupt the current of magnet D and release lever p last, with the result that electrodes is? and 70 will be brought into contact and a circuit will be established through instrument Q. Thus each train passing over track-section Y andY automatically indicates not only its presence on those sections, which is old, but in addition indicates the direction in which it is running, which is wholly new with me andwhich is a wholly new result.

One use of my new apparatus istogive warning that an approaching train has reached a certain place, and another use-of my new ap paratus is to give warning that a receding train has reached that place; but of course if one of the instruments Q 'or Qbe not desired the corresponding electrode'lc or k may be dispensed with. In practicewhen my apparatus is used to automatically sound a gong at a crossing a train running over section Y and Y on its approach to the crossing will ring the gong; but'a train running on those sections after it has passed the crossing will not ring the gong, for lever 13 will carry only one electrodethat is, the apparatus will go through its motions idly for receding trains and will not sound the gong except for approaching trains.

Other uses of my invention will be well understood by all skilled in the art without detailed description; but especially important uses are fully described in my pending applications, Serial No. 705,432, filed February 13, 1899, and Serial No. 705,435, filed February 13, 1899.

It will now be clear that my invention is, practically speaking, an apparatus by which a train not only indicates its presence on a certain part of the track, but also indicates in which direction it is running, and the essential parts are two magnets, two energizingcircuits, one for each magnet, and means by which trains interrupt those circuits in an order corresponding to the direction in which the train is movingthat is, a train in one direction interrupts first the circuit of D and last the circuit of D, while a train in the opposite direction interrupts first the circuit of D and last the circuit of D. While in most cases magnet D must control two electrodes 70 and k it will be clear from what has been said that one of these two electrodes may be omitted and other means for interrupting the circuits of magnets D and D and other means for causing the interruption of the circuits through magnets D and D in a given order to operate suitable instruments Q and Q will suggest themselves to the constructor as circumstances vary. The means shown are the best of all those that I have contemplated, except that some persons prefer an open circuit, as shown in Fig. 3, in which the wheels and axles of a train on section Y complete a circuit through magnet D which actuates its armature; but as soon-as that train has reached section Y its wheels and axles complete circuit through magnet D which actuates its armature, thereby making contact through electrodes 70 7;; but if the train runs in the opposite direction a contact will be made through electrodes 76 and 70 as will be clear without further description, for in this form of apparatus the train interrupts current through the coils by first causing it to flow and next to stop its flow, instead of first stopping its flow and next causing it to flow.

I am aware of Patents No. 266,904, dated October 30, 1882, to Scott; No. 349,927, dated September 28, 1886, to Daves; No. 524,038, dated August 7, 1894, to Daves, and No. 542,699, dated July 16, 1895, to Wetherbee, and disclaim all that is shown in them, for they show nothing more than the usual cross ing signal operated automatically by any train approaching the crossing regardless of the direction in which the train is moving, with inhibiting means to prevent the operation of the crossing-signal by trains receding from the crossing.

That I claim as my invention is- 1. An automatic signaling apparatus comprising two circuits; means by which a passing train controls both those circuits; and an indicator-circuit made operative by the action of the train-circuits in one order but remainin" inoperative under the action of the traincircuits in the other order.

2. An apparatus for indicating both the presence of a train and the direction in which it is running comprising two circuits; means by which a train controls those circuits in one order when running in one direction, and in another order when running in an opposed direction; and two indicator circuits one made operative by the action of the traincircuits in one order, the other made operative by the action of the train-circuits in the other order.

BENTON O. ROVVELL.

\Vitnesses:

Donn E. FELT, LOUIS A. nu BERARD. 

